Reasons why Mumbai 6 vs. Chennai 2 (and no, I'm not talking about IPL*)

6. Vada Pav: Delicious, incredibly unhealthy Mumbai carbohydrate speciality. Only was tempted by this recently when helping a friend research for a project about heart disease in India (Thanks, Michi!) Well done, Mumbai.

5. No men peeing on streets: Okay, "no" is probably an overstatement. But, it's quite amazing not having to watch where you step 24/7 slash not having to feel guilty after verbally abusing those who do pee on the streets. Well done, Mumbai.

4. Local trains: Yes, they're as packed as in the movies, even the "Ladies only" cars. I actually found that riding in the regular compartments that I was able to have more inches of personal space due to men not wanting to get yelled at for "crossing the line." Incredibly cheap and pretty good way to travel through Mumbai...NOT during rush hour, that is. Well done, Mumbai.

3. Dharavi Slum Tour: I was hesitant at first, but upon recommendations from friends, I realized it was not only raising money for a good cause but a way to restore my faith in development work. The largest slum in Asia has roughly 650 million USD turnover per year, is a recycling hub for international plastics and exports leather and other goods all over the world. It was really an eye opener. Well done, Mumbai.

2. Totos: An amazing "mechanic garage" themed bar seemingly run by a group of Uncles (one of whom walks around with sunglasses on). Draught beers, young good-looking crowd and servers in bright orange overalls. Well done, Mumbai.

1. Metered Autos: Probably the best thing about Mumbai. No bargaining, no hassle, no problem. Auto-wallahs are willing to go anywhere, whenever and are even super helpful when you don't know the exact location of the destination (take that, Chennai). Well done, Mumbai.

Everytime I go Mumbai, I like it more and more...it's definitely a city that grows on you!

(Chennai's 2 points come from– 1. Manageable street traffic and 2. Bhangra/Bollywood night @ Pasha, a dance club in the Park Hotel).

*IPL = Indian Premiere League, which is India's 3-year old national cricket league. My first cricket match is next Wednesday...go Chennai Super Kings!